The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to turbine engines, and more particularly, to bucket assemblies for use in turbine engines.
At least some known turbine engines include rotary assemblies that include a plurality of buckets or blades. To control airfoil stresses, deflections, and vibration characteristics, such rotary assemblies may include part-span connectors that extend between adjacent buckets. However, known part-span connectors are generally located in a turbine flowpath, and as such, may introduce aerodynamic losses into the system.
To counteract potential aerodynamic losses, at least some known rotary assemblies include a part-span connector fabricated with an aerodynamic shape. However, adding additional material to the part-span connector to create the aerodynamic shape may result in providing a part-span connector that is significantly larger and heavier than a non-aerodynamic part-span connector that primarily only provides mechanical support. Accordingly, using aerodynamic part-span connectors may increase the cost to manufacture the part-span connectors.